A Place Called Home
by Quincette
Summary: Yubaba's spell on Haku hasn't fully worn off, some of his memories are still missing. When finally he gained them back, he finds a little truth about his past that changes everything... and he blames humans for that, unexceptionably Chihiro... RnR plz ^.^


Hullo peeps!

This is my first attempt on Sen To Chihiro No Kamikakushi

Had this idea since the first time watched the movie

But didn't post since I didn't notice the 'Spirited Away' section on the ff.net *silly me*

Okay basically this is just another 'what happens to Haku after the movie'

But I promise this is gonna be interesting, so go read!

Enjoy!

I own Spirited Away not. It's Studio Ghibli's *sigh*

**A Place Called Home**

_She's going home. The line reverberated in Haku's mind, gushing the feeling of relieves and lost at the same time as he watched Chihiro disappeared in the tunnel's dark hollow. The boy stood there for a while, watching the lush green meadow silently turned into a vast water surface once again as the lights faded away._

_"What about you Haku?"_

_"I'll be fine, I'll talk to Yubaba  we'll meet again!"_

_"Promise?"_

_"I promise! Now go on and don't look back!"_

He smiled at that memory and decided that he wouldn't waste any more time to liberate himself from the old cranky sorceress' spell and go back home to his own world, and see the girl through the glimmering surface of his river again. He didn't want to make Chihiro waited for him for too long.

_"Your true name is Kohaku."_

_Kohaku. My name is Kohaku. He repeated the statement over and over as he crossed the lavishly lampion-lit bridge, was afraid that somehow he would lose that reminiscence again._

_"Chihiro, Yes I remember, my name is Kohaku. Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi!"_

_"It's beautiful, like Gods' names!"_

_Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. The name was sounded like some strengthening spell whispered to his ears, encouraging him to impel the layers of huge wooden doors, which happened to be the entrance to Yubaba's office, to open widely._

"Barged into my territory like that, how ill-mannered of you boy!" the old sorceress murmured under her crooked nose, not even glancing at the boy, busy scribbling the equation of how much damages the No-face had caused her. 

The boy took a deep inhalation and forced the words to come out without hesitation, "Yubaba-sama, I want to end my contract!" 

"Hm?" was the only thing he got as a reply. Slowly, as if was not bothered, the old sorceress shifted her eyes to the boy. _The spell has been broken, _she noticed the absence of dark mist she had cast upon the boy's olive eyes. The boy was now fully aware of himself. "End the contract eh? And what's your point in doing that?" she asked, unexpectedly in a soft tone, which with her hoarse voice sounded more like an eerie screech.

The boy flinched a bit at the old sorceress's voice. The air was idle of noises else than the sounds of Yubaba's quill scratching against the paper for a few moments before he let out another line, "I want to go back to my world." he answered. His voice was steady, yet he felt a cringe of doubt built inside of him. Yubaba was never that calm in dealing with her minions, especially with those who want to call off their contracts. _Something is not right._

"To _your world?" she chuckled, "My, my, aren't you forgetting something, Haku?" _

"Kohaku." he emphasized his name, "I remember my name Yubaba-_sama, there's nothing you can do to stop me calling off my contract." he added._

_How cocky…,"Ah… you remember your name…" she raised her eyebrows._

"Yes. Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi." the boy said, staring intensely at the old sorceress, trying to read her mind. Her reaction was odd to him, and discomforted, as if she didn't mind at all. It would be much easier to handle if she's just snapping up, screaming in anger, breathing fire out her nose or bombarding him with blowing orbs or else. Facing her calm demeanor like that was bit by bit unnerving him, he could smell something fishy inside her raisin-wrinkled head. 

Yubaba wouldn't do anything that wouldn't raise the amount of gold inside her savings, she wouldn't do anything to help anyone without herself gaining a profit out of it. She wouldn't anything to please anyone except herself.

And what kind of amusement or profit that she would get from him breaking the contract? Nothing, according to him… so why was she acting like that?

"Fine then."

The boy was practically shock. Strange, he thought, he was suppose to be happy, or relieved to hear that short agreement, but the thing he felt inside was pure insecurity and a certain disbelief. _It's too easy…_

"I said fine." repeat the old sorceress, a countersign for the stupefied boy. She handed out a paper which happened to be the boy's contract, "See…" she grasped the paper inside her palm, "Phlogiston!" she hissed, and the paper crumbled into a pile of ashes.

She gazed the boy, eyes against eyes, "It's done, you free to go now… to _your home." she said, and so she smiled. _

The boy swallowed the lump caught in his throat, it was really too easy to be done. And the old hag rewarded him a smile even… oh that nasty smiles. The smile of a pernicious wolf disguised in a lamb's fur. That mere smile was enough for all of bad hunch to emerge out from the pit of his stomach.  

But nevertheless he's free, wasn't he?

"You're free." said Yubaba again, as though having read his mind. 

"I am…" he murmured. He was free, the thought shoved off other thoughts. Nothing could stand between him and his home now, nothing could stand between him and his reunion with Chihiro. Nothing.

So, he, turned away.

"Ah, _Kohaku…" that hoarse pitch called him again, with his proper name this time. But he didn't pleased by the manner the old hag rhymed the syllables._

He stopped his steps and glanced a back.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she inquired, still with that suspicions smile plastered on her wrinkles. 

The boy glared her. _Nothing stand between me and my freedom_, so his glare said, "No." he replied directly, fully determined, ignoring a little hunch in the back of his head that wasn't so sure of it.

"Of course you not." prolonged the old sorceress in tone of somewhat cynical --yet satisfied-like-- for no obvious reason.

Silence.   

The boy turned away once more, proceeding to make his way out again. Firstly with a few steps in hesitancy, occasionally throwing glances at his ex-employer. Yubaba was scribbling still, seemingly taking no interest at him … 

Then he walked out of the first door, then the second, the third, two more to go, and he couldn't help to run, being afraid of Yubaba's capricious mind, that she would suddenly rethink of what she had just done and close doors to lock him inside forever.

So he ran out the fourth and the fifth door, choosing the stairs instead of the elevator, afraid that it might stuck in one of those floors. He just ran, enjoying every bump his feet made with the polished wooden staircases, ignoring the sweat beads that started to glisten from his skin.

Yubaba after the door had closed, had to break her quill in order to suppress the urge to maim the dragon boy with her blowing orb. She would shriek her frustration out loudly if the baby wasn't sleeping behind the burgundy curtain.

_Daijobu yubaba… she calmed herself down, gritting her teeth… _The boy wouldn't go far… he's still forgetting something… you'll win in the end… _so her self said._

_Yes…, she agreed on her own thought, __I'll win the game, she cackled under her breath. _

The boy wouldn't go far, he _couldn't _go far.

The boy didn't know that, all he knew was he's free to leave his cage. He ran faster as he reached the ground floor, slowing his steps only to avoid a bump with Rin.

The perplexed girl shouted at him, "Where are you going boya?"

"Home!" he shouted a reply.

_Home, the word echoed inside his head, yes, that was where he was heading to._

He barged the boiler room, sparing a nick of time to hug Kamaji the operator, "Jii-san, I'm going home, I'll meet Chihiro again!" he said excitedly between his rapid effort to catch the air.

"Oo… Sugoi! Ganbatte ne Haku-sama!" replied the spider, hugging him back with his six arms, neglecting several tags that were dropped down from the upper floors.

"Thank you for everything! Sayonara!" and he started to run again, followed by the old spider's delightful laughter, 

"Send Chihiro a hug from me!" he shouted.

"I will!" so the boy replied before disappearing behind the boiler room's door.

"Yare-yare…" murmured Rin behind the spider's back, she had just reached the boiler room, "I've never seen him like that before, the usually calm Haku-sama…"

"Power of love Rin, power of love…" Kamaji mouthed back, "I hope things will go right for him."

Things _were felt so right for the dragon boy. But he didn't notice how the old hag peered out from her wide window up there, curving a smile of evil expectation. _Dragons… so kind, so naïve, so stupid…__

But as the boy felt, nothing was wrong for him at the moment, even in his dragon form, with his dragon instinct, he still didn't realize the pitfall awaited him.

Yubaba on the other hand, widened her smile as the watched the silvery, ribbon-like silhouette flying gleefully across the full moon. Everything was perfect… Oh, how fascinating, the cocky dragon boy was going home, only to realize that he was forgetting something, some little truth that would make him go back to her office and beg to have back his position, she cackled silently at her own thought, she just couldn't wait.

The moon hung gracefully in the starless sky like a giant pearl in the abyss' depths. _Beautiful, praised the silver dragon, __Are you seeing it too Chihiro? From your world?_

The clear air suddenly clouded with mist. Haku holds his breath; the gate to his world was close, so close…

But he didn't find it. The mist was slowly fading away and he was still there, floating above the edgeless water surface. He whirled in quandary, silhouette of the bath house, faint rhyme of the water train, glowing ships from the distance; all were there, he still there, in the spirit world.

Confused, he flew back through the mist cloud once again.

And there he was, still, going nowhere.

His heart began to knock his chest hollow in rhyme of dread. _What is wrong?_

Twice. He repeated the whole procedure again.

And arrived at the same place again.

_Something is wrong…,his little hunch no longer questioned, it was sure that something was wrong._

Thrice. 

Driven by adrenaline that began to flood his mind, he shouted a spell. "By the name of the water and the air inside of you, uncover the gate!" 

The cloud of whirled mist disappeared into the thin air at his command. Nothing, he found nothing except a swelling disappointment that slowly turned into panic. _Where is the gate? Why did the spell not work? Is there anything wrong? Did I forget something? Did I ?_

Then it hit him.

_"Aren't you forgetting something?" _

Rage, rage formed inside his head. Yubaba, that must be one of her tricks, cursed the old hag! 

Soon, he found himself breaching into the said hag's office. Ignoring the piercing shattered glasses on the floor, he marched front, snarled in anger at the old hag, who was beaming mockingly on her glided chair. Oh how strong was his urge to rip her with claws. But dragons' nature, not a tiny bit brutality inside of them. So he just stood there in a menacing state, curling his rims, appearing his series of dagger-sharp teeth… 

"What's wrong? You forgot your map?" she chuckled, holding her laugh on her throat.

The dragon deformed back into a boy, "What have you done to the gate?!" he asked in demand.

"Nothing." she answered flatly.

"I don't believe you!" he raised his voice, anger made him feel more superior to do so.

Yubaba squinted her eyes, "I have asked you if your forget something, have I not?" she inquired, "And no so you said, cockily…" she glared at him.

The boy caught a glint of mockery in her eyes, and that nasty feeling showed up again, a feeling that he _did _forget something.

"Not so sure about yourself anymore eh?" the old hag plastered a loathsome grin, "Stupid boy, your magic is too fast a hundred years to be compared with mine. You can't even wholly remember about yourself can you?" now was her turn to raise a voice, she was the superior one from the first place after all.

The boy parted his lips in attempt to reboot, but words stuck on his gullet, and to his horror, part of him admitted that she was right.

"Tsk-tsk… pathetic little dragon. You--" she pinpointed the boy's temple, "--still haven't remembered all of your memories. If you think you could just get away and reunite with that useless, filthy little lowborn human infa--"

Her line was cut off by the boy's sudden transformation. Triggered by blend of anger and distress, he was back on his dragon form. Maybe the old hag could verbally assault him as please as she wanted to, but not her, not his Chihiro, no, he wouldn't allowed her to.

And so he roared his anger out, darted forward to seize Yubaba with his claws.

The old hag released a squawk in surprise.

From behind the curtain came a high-pitched cry. Maybe the giant baby wasn't as bratty as he'd been anymore, but he was still a crybaby.

And nothing could panic the old hag more than her baby's cry. And what would she do when she's panic? She would get berserk, and snap up at the one she thought was the culprit. At that case the dragon boy was the culprit.

She dodged the claws, and managed to grab both of the dragon's antlers, at with the weight of her enormous head together with her bulky trunk, it was easy for her to pin him down to the glossy floor.

The dragon didn't accept his defeat just like that. He skirmished; tail lashing furiously at every direction, breaking several of the old hag's precious collection of earthenware; talons desperately scratching the floor, leaving the smooth marble tiles crisscrossed with cuts. The fight was loud with noises; his wild roars, Yubaba's eardrum-ripping  screams, the baby's cry, breaking vases, and piercing sounds of his claws against the floor. All drove the old hag into the very edge of her wrath.

"Memorize!" finally the she used her spell, sending a small blast to the raging dragon's head. He stopped his struggle and dropped limp on the mess of the fight. Pieces of memories were flashing inside his head; Yubaba had removed his sealed memories, and they were flooding his brain in haphazard confusion. 

Slowly the dragon skewed into his human figure, laying there breathless and disoriented, trying to sort the jumbled memories inside his head.

"Look all this mess!" the old hag shrieked in annoyance, "You'll pay for this boy!"  

The boy was laying still, biting his lips in unbearable headache. Pictures, pictures motioned  inside, pictures of a river, Chihiro, a drained out river, roaring sound of metal beasts, humans, mist, the boiler room, Kamaji, Yubaba, the contract, the wonder of magic, paper birds, blood. All attacked his brain in the same time, making his head no more than a broken projector. 

Then after a moment, he gained back his vision and saw Yubaba in front of him.

"Now, you remember, don't you?" she smirked, "You have no home."

He heard himself gasped at her words and a picture of his memories flashed in his thoughts automatically; his river, his home… drained out. His people, all the water life-lings, screaming for help. Sounds of machines, the metal beasts destroying his home…

"You have no home. You came here because you have no place else to go, remember that, _Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi-Ohjisama?"_

_"Take me as you hired hand, I want to learn magic, I have no place else to go."_

That, he remembered, that was his own words. The words he said to insist the old hag to give him a job. 

The reason of him coming to the spirit world in the first place was because his world had been destroyed.

"Remember now? You can't go home. This is the closest place to be called home, whether you like it or not." Yubaba whispered in his ears, low chortle colored her voice.

She's right.

"Are you angry now? Huh? Blame the human!"

_Blame the human._

"You had helped them for long and they paid you by destroying your world. Blame the ungrateful human."

She's right.

_Balme the human_

The boy laid there, staring blankly at the full moon; but there was no Chihiro in his mind now, there was no picture of his beloved sweet little girl, there was only emptiness, anger and hatred. _Cursed all the human who's seeing it from their bloody world!_

*****To Be Continued*****

All right, that's how Haku turned to hate humans 

The next chapter will be focused on Chihiro

Okay, while I twisted my brain to write the next chapter, please do leave me a note will ya?

Comments, critics, suggestions, corrections, questions and flames ( yes, I don't mind, but reasonable one please, or else I'll bake marshmallow with your flames) are gladly appreciated.

Thank you for reading

C'ya on next chapter(s)

Quince  

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